The
following passage contains several common errors of the type you are likely
to come across in a set of proofs (though not as closely clustered as here,
I hope). This test should not be taken too seriously, but, since you have
nowhere better to be than here, I hope that you'll at least find it fun. If you identify all the
errors, it doesn't mean that you are a born proofreader; if you miss
a few, all is not necessarily lost. It is really nothing more than an attempt
to liven up my site by providing you with ten minutes' amusement and perhaps
a little education, but if you are the kind of person who enjoys this type
of 'spot the deliberate mistake' game then you should certainly enjoy
life as a freelance. Feel free to consult a dictionary or any other reference
book you have to hand. Here is the test. (You may find it more realistic
to work on this printable version.)

As we enter the new millenium
its difficult to avoid thinking about how the world is changing. In the 1980's few people had even seen a computer, let alone owned one. Now they are on
most childrens' christmas wish lists. In the 1990's satelite television was a new and wondrous thing – no less than sixteen channels through one ariel! Compare
that figure with the hundreds available today. Digital broadcasting has changed our lives to such an extent that the question is no longer 'TV or not TV?' (to
misquote Shakespear), but 'Could we manage without it?' Can you imagine life a hundred years ago, when there was neither television or radio. For us, it
doesn't bare thinking about, but perhaps our great-grandparents were equally as content to sit round a piano as we are to stare at a screen. There would have
been no disagreement about what channel to watch, at least.

Which would you choose as the best of the two period's in which to live? In 1900 there was certainly less leisure time, accomodation was terribly cramped
and there were two world wars to come, (not to mention the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918, which was responsable for the deaths of more British
people than the Second World War preceeding it); a holiday was a luxury and there was no modern conveniences. I am not, of course, inferring that all is
now perfect. Today we have global warming, gridlocked traffic, GM foods, BSE, ME, AIDS and many other unwelcome contractions, abbreviations and
anagrams – problems all partly or wholly atttributable to technological advances. On balance, though, I think I would prefer to take my chances in todays
silicone-enhanced world of bits and bites than in the troubled times of our forbears.

The passage is repeated below, with the corrections you should have made in bold type.

As we enter the new
millennium it's
difficult to avoid thinking about how the world is changing. In the
1980s
few people had even seen a computer, let alone owned one. Now they are on most
children's Christmas
wish lists. In the
1990s satellite
television was a new and wondrous thing – no
fewer
than sixteen channels through one
aerial! Compare that figure with the hundreds available today. Digital broadcasting has changed our lives to such an extent that the question is no longer 'TV or not TV?' (to misquote
Shakespeare), but 'Could we manage without it?' Can you imagine life
a hundred years ago, when there was neither television
nor
radio?
For us, it doesn't
bear
thinking about, but perhaps our great-grandparents were
equally content [or 'as content' – either is correct]
to sit round a piano as we are to stare at a screen. There would have been no disagreement about
which
channel to watch, at least.

Which would you choose as the
better
of the two
periods
in which to live? In 1900 there was certainly less leisure time,
accommodation
was terribly cramped and there were two world wars to come
[no comma here]
(not to mention the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918, which was
responsible
for the deaths of more British people than the
First
World War
preceding
it); a holiday was a luxury and there
were
no modern conveniences. I am not, of course,
implying
that all is now perfect. Today we have global warming, gridlocked traffic, GM foods, BSE, ME, AIDS and many other unwelcome contractions, abbreviations and
acronyms
– problems all partly or wholly
attributable
to technological advances. On balance, though, I think I would prefer to take my chances in
today's silicon-enhanced world of bits and
bytes
than in the troubled times of our
forebears*.

*The misuse of 'forbear' for 'forebear' is now so prevalent as to have
become idiomatic. That doesn't make it etymologically correct, of course, but dictionaries have a duty to reflect the language as it is used (which is not always
equivalent to how it should be used) and the ignorance of the majority has finally prevailed. (I suspect it won't be long before we see 'fortuitous' as a
synonym for 'fortunate' – blame football commentators for that one – and 'chronic' for 'very bad'.) If you missed this one, don't deduct a point. However,
award yourself an extra one if you marked it.

Well,
that's the fun part over with, but if you're serious about doing this sort
of thing for a living then you'll need some help to get started. That's where
my guide comes in - your next stop on the sidebar.

Answers

The
test contained a total of thirty errors. Did you spot them all, or
would you like to try again?